North Carolina glass 2012 : in celebration of 50 years of studio glass in America

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A notable exhibition cannot take place without noteworthy supporters, whose contributions have played an integral role in the success of this exhibit.
Thank you to our generous benefactors, including the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, which provided the funding to make this exhibition catalogue
a reality, School of Art and Design North Carolina Glass Fund, College of Fine and Performing Arts, Jackson County Green Energy Park, and the Jackson
County Arts Council. Thank you to our founding members and new Friends of the Arts, whose annual membership provides valuable support and defines
the Fine Art Museum’s role in the cultural life of our community.
Above all, we are grateful to the 23 exceptional artists featured in this exhibition. Their mastery of studio glass and their fearlessness to explore the
medium are what make this exhibition spectacular and dynamic.
On behalf of the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University, I hope you enjoy this distinctive exhibition and catalogue publication commemorating
North Carolina Glass 2012: In Celebration of 50 Years of Studio Glass in America.
Denise Drury
Chief Curator & Interim Director
Fine Art Museum
Western Carolina University
The Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University is honored to present North Carolina Glass 2012: In Celebration of 50 Years of Studio Glass in
America as the leading exhibit for our 2012-13 season of exhibitions and programs. This exhibition both celebrates the artistic achievements of a
community of artists and recognizes the significant contribution the state of North Carolina has made in the advancement of studio glass in America.
Western Carolina University has been a stakeholder in the studio glass movement since the launch of the North Carolina Glass exhibition series in 1974
by Joan Falconer Byrd, professor of art in the WCU School of Art and Design. It is because of her keen interest, knowledge of the medium and its
capabilities, and passion for the future of studio glass in North Carolina that this series has endured and remains a focus of The Fine Art Museum.
Throughout this exhibition one will see a variety of styles, techniques and form created by several generations of North Carolina glass artists. North
Carolina Glass 2012 features traditional glass blowing as well as new experimental forms that push the boundaries of studio glass, creating a dynamic
experience for the viewer. Across technique and generations, one constant remains: the passion for exploring the medium.
An exhibition of this scope would not be possible without the help of many dedicated friends and colleagues. Early conversations with Joan Byrd inspired
the exhibit concept and focus. Joan’s documentation of the glass community in North Carolina, the U.S. and abroad over the last 50 years is what has
made this exhibition so rich in experience. The Fine Art Museum’s staff provided exceptional collaboration in exhibition planning and implementation.
Museum studio technician Kevin Kirkpatrick and exhibit designer Greg McPherson provided outstanding exhibition preparation and installation. Visitor
services manager Dawn Behling continues to provide valuable frontline museum security and public information. Of particular note is Jessica Kovacs,
whose attention to detail in gathering extensive content for this catalogue has proven invaluable. Thank you to our interns, Carrie Croom, Christy
Harrison and Lisa Maddox, and students of the museum’s exhibition practicum course who provide critical assistance working with our professional
staff to gain hands-on experience in exhibition management and professional practices.
On the occasion of this major exhibition we must acknowledge the contributions of our extended support team at Western Carolina University. Our appreciation
goes to Rubae Schoen, WCU’s director of creative services, for excellent and timely management of all publications related to this exhibit, and to designer
Zack Keys for an exquisite catalogue design. The following individuals and organizations made significant contributions to the promotion of this exhibition
on campus and throughout the region. I want to acknowledge Jill Ingram, news services; Ashley Evans, photography, Laura Huff, eMarketing; Lori Davis,
Arts and Cultural Events (ACE); the WCU Print Shop; Courtney Thompson and Beth Denmon, CFPA Dean’s Office; and Meg White and Jim Miller, Office
of Advancement. We thank Provost Angela Brenton and Dr. Robert Kehrberg, dean of the College of Fine & Performing Arts, for their continuing support
of the Fine Art Museum as a learning laboratory. We want to acknowledge Dianne Lynch and the Office of the Chancellor for their special interest in the
Fine Art Museum and particularly to Chancellor David Belcher for his ongoing support of the Fine Art Museum.
NORTH CAROLINA GLASS 2012 | Introduction | Denise Drury
4 5
As the United States celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the studio glass movement this year, North Carolina may take pride in its role
in the explosive development of this rich and demanding medium in contemporary art.
In 2012, when one may even learn the rudiments of glassblowing aboard a cruise ship, it is astonishing to reflect that until Harvey K. Littleton placed a
blowpipe in the hands of the artist in his groundbreaking workshops at the Toledo Museum of Art in 1962, hot glass working was the exclusive province
of industry. Littleton’s two workshops in Toledo provided welcome publicity for the investigation of hot glass, but above all, they gave credibility to his
vision. That fall, Littleton taught a glassblowing class at the University of Wisconsin, introducing glass into the university system in the U.S.
North Carolina joined the studio glass movement just three years later when Bill Brown, then director of Penland School of Crafts, invited Littleton to
the school in the western mountains of the state. Planning to visit fellow glass pioneer Erwin Eisch in Bavaria in summer 1965, Littleton sent a graduate
student, Bill Boysen, to Penland in his stead. Boysen accepted the challenge of building a glass facility on a shoestring budget of $200, initiating the
program that has made North Carolina a powerful force in the evolution of glass as a creative medium.
The early instructors at Penland were current and former Littleton students: Dale Chihuly, for one, taught there prior to founding Pilchuck Glass School.
As studio glass programs proliferated across the country and in Europe, artists of widely varied backgrounds came to study and teach. Before long, a
community of glass artists formed in Western North Carolina, due in large part to Penland’s artist in residence program that Brown extended to the
medium of glass in 1967. The founding meetings of the Glass Art Society took place at Penland in 1971 and 1972. GAS, as it is known, is now an
international organization with a membership of more than 4,000 artists and glass enthusiasts worldwide.
Former Littleton student Fritz Dreisbach, then an instructor at Penland, built a glass furnace on the Western Carolina University campus in 1972, and
the university established a small glass program that was to continue for two decades. In the same year, Western Carolina organized an exhibition of
the work of all the artists in the state then exploring the medium of hot glass. Three of the 10 individuals in North Carolina Glass ’74 are in the current
show. Mark Peiser and Billy Bernstein had both been artists in residence at Penland School and had settled nearby, and Richard Ritter was a resident
in glass at the time. The presentation at the opening of the show was given by Lee Nordness, gallery owner, curator and author of Objects: USA.
NORTH CAROLINA GLASS | JOAN FALCONER BYRD
Untitled (copper blue loop on clear base) | Harvey K. Litleton | 1976 | blown glass with engraved line
13.75 x 7.25 x 4 inches
6 7
Opening on a snowy Super Bowl Sunday, North Carolina Glass ’76 introduced the audience to the work of Penland’s new resident in glass, Rob Levin,
and to the sculptures of Littleton, who exhibited as the event’s visiting speaker. On their drive back to Wisconsin, Littleton and his wife, Bess, visited
friends living near Penland School and were so taken with the area that they moved to nearby Spruce Pine within the year. An honored member of the
glass community since this date, Littleton both exhibited his work in each of the subsequent North Carolina Glass shows and partially underwrote the
catalogue costs for the series, which continued on a more or less regular basis until 1990. Beginning in 1978 the exhibitions traveled to venues beyond
Western North Carolina, and versions of the 1984 and 1986 shows traveled to galleries in Europe. Subtitled “The Next Generation,” the glass exhibition
presented by Western Carolina University in 1995 included only the artists who were new to the state.
The art of glass in North Carolina remains a special interest of Western Carolina University, which boasts the unique archive of vitreographs, prints
made from glass plates at Littleton Studios. It is a privilege to present the 2012 exhibition in the Fine Art Museum of the College of Fine and Performing
Arts, a new space on campus that is the perfect showcase for glass.
Including a far greater number of artists than before and brilliantly demonstrating a wide range of glass working techniques, North Carolina Glass 2012
both commemorates the birth of the studio glass movement 50 years ago and marks Littleton’s 90th birthday. There could be no finer celebration of
Littleton’s life than this rich expression of the community which surrounds him, the world-class artists who continue to extend his contributions to
contemporary art and among whom he is at home.
Joan Falconer Byrd
Professor of Art
School of Art and Design
Western Carolina University
Sliced Descending Form | Harvey K. Litleton | 1985 | hot worked glass with multiple overlays
12.25 x 15 x 5.75 inches
8 9
THE Artists
Rick Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Edmonton, Alberta , Canada , 1960..............................................................................................................12
Valerie Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Hastings, Nebraska, 1960......................................................................................................................14
Gary BeechaM | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Ladysmith, Wisconsin, 1955.................................................................................................................16
Alex Bernstein | ashevile, North Carolina | born: Spruce Pine, North Carolina, 1972......................................................................................................18
Katherine Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark , New Jersey, 1945.........................................................................................................20
William Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark , New Jersey, 1945.............................................................................................................22
Ken Carder | Vilas , North Carolina | Born: Lima, Ohio, 1955....................................................................................................................................................24
Shane Fero | Penland , North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1953...................................................................................................................................26
Robert Gardner | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Miami Beach, Florida, 1962..................................................................................................................28
Judson Guerard | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Fayetevile, North Carolina, 1951................................................................................................30
Robert Levin | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Baltimore , Maryland, 1948....................................................................................................................32
John Littleton + Kate Vogel | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Madison, Wisconsin, 1957 / Wimpole, England , 1956..............................................34
Roger Parramore | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Gainesvile, Florida, 1962.................................................................................................................36
Mark Peiser | Penland , North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1938.................................................................................................................................38
Kenny Pieper | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Birmingham, Alabama, 1959...................................................................................................................40
Richard Ritter | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Detroit, Michigan, 1940......................................................................................................................42
Robert Stephan | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Long Beach, California, 1949..............................................................................................................44
Yafa + Jef Todd | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Tel Aviv, Israel, 1951 / Philadelphia , Pensylvania, 1954............................................................46
Tadashi Torii | Sylva, North Carolina | Born: Osaka, Japan , 1967............................................................................................................................................48
Justin Turcotte | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Augusta , Maine, 1979...........................................................................................................................50
Jan Williams | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: New York, New York, 1952......................................................................................................................52
Harvey K. Littleton + Friends | November 19, 2006 – March 3, 2007 | an exhibition at the Fine Art Museum, WCU
10 11
Luna | 2011 | cast and fabricated glass and steel
26 x 26 x 11.5 inches
My work in glass is a synthesis of human and mechanical form, with an emphasis on
formal aspects. I am interested in playing the volumes of mass against the rhythm of
the lines. I enjoy the interplay of the visual (visceral) versus the verbal (descriptive/
technical). The work should challenge the eye and the mind.
RICK BECK | Spruce Pine, North Carolina
BORN: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1960
12 13
Grifins | 2012 | blown glass
11 x 11 x 11 inches
The blown work is beautiful, colorful, fun glass. I love playing with patterns. These are
bold and simple pieces. Some pieces depict specific dreams, stories and memories.
VALERIE BECK | Spruce Pine, North Carolina
BORN: Hastings, Nebraska, 1960
14 15
Citadel of the Prism | 2012 | fused glass with black granite base
9.75 x 11 x 11 inches
GARY BEECHAM | Spruce Pine, North Carolina
BORN: Ladysmith, Wisconsin, 1955
On the mental plane,
A magical tower
In rainbow hues
Haunted my dreams
For a year.
Over a season,
Dream at last made manifest:
Soft spectrum of hard bricks
Arising from black stone.
The mystery of building with glass.
– Mary Lynn White
16 17
Steel 5 | 2012 | cast and cut lead glass, fused steel
23 x 6 x 3 inches
The works presented here are from a general series in which the sculptures relate to one
another in my own visual language. The concept behind the work is the idea of growth.
I think of a small seed being trapped in a stone, a sidewalk, a crack in the pavement –
anywhere that a seed would not have the chance to grow and develop into its eventual
being. However, my sculptures allow for that seed to take root and burst in a gestural
sense – with the translucent glass rising from the opaque steel surface. I imagine that
these sculptures present only a short moment in time. For example, if the viewer were
to return a year from now, the glowing colorful growth would have continued to expand,
filling the room and finally letting that seed experience a life previously unimagined.
Alex Bernstein | Ashevile, North Carolina
BORN: Spruce Pine, North Carolina, 1972
18 19
Figure with Curtain | 2011 | cast lead crystal with diamond engraving
26 x 26 x 11.5 inches
My work continues to center around the figure. I am particularly interested in the
evocative aspects of each model and pose. I hope that in attempting to capture these
characteristics and relationships I arrive at a “portrait,” delineated not in terms of a
likeness but by the nuances of the figure.
Katherine Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina
BORN: Newark, New Jersey, 1945
20 21
Self Portrait with Glasses | 2011 | blown glass with applied fragments and hot cane drawing
11.5 x 9 x 4.5 inches
Pictorial imagery continues to be the main focus of my work. I am currently working
in three related areas: images applied to the glass in a molten state, enamels which
are applied to the glass and then fired, and painting on paper and canvas. I enjoy the
interaction between one medium and another.
For me, creativity is not the journey from concept to object. It is a steady rhythm, an
ongoing process. The pieces which result are documents of this process, rather than its
final goal.
Wiliam Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina
BORN: Newark, New Jersey, 1945
22 23
Oh November | 2011 | glass and metal
30 x 12 x 9 INCHES
I came to glass with a background in sculpture and drawing. As a transparent material,
it seemed like the most interesting place to combine the two. I was hooked from the very
start. Working with hot glass allowed me to explore things I could have never imagined,
much less expressed in any other material. My earliest influences were not glassmakers but
painters. As I worked more with the material I began to study its history and its physical
properties. This allowed me to develop a greater understanding of its full potential. The
early representational cane worked images of Billy Bernstein and Mark Peiser were a great
influence. I worked using their techniques until I was able to develop my own way of
picture-making. The most effective is a process of applying finely ground colored glasses
over castings and using stencils.
Over the past 30 years or so I have done my best to develop a method of using instinct
rather than formula in my approach. This leads to less predictable outcomes and much
greater room for original invention. I think of my entire body of work as an ongoing theater
piece that runs parallel to the world I inhabit. The characters and sets sometimes reflect my
world but need not adhere to any particular rules or fall victim to any constrictions of logic.
Ken Carder | Vi la s, North Carolina
BORN: Lima, Ohio, 1955
24 25
Dragon goddess | 2012 | flameworked glass and sandblasted
16.5 x 9.75 x 6.5 inches
During my 43-year career I have been fascinated with and have rendered bird imagery
into my work in various forms. This focus has sharpened in the last 10 years with the
blown bird series, which is based on techniques of German flameworking. I learned these
techniques when I was a young apprentice, although I brought them into a contemporary
context in relation to my work. I have always combined bird and human elements in
my sculptures, vessel forms, and mixed media pieces. Plus, I love to invoke humor and
character into these pieces, especially in the titles.
Shane Fero | Penland, North Carolina
BORN: Chicago, Ilinois, 1953
26 27
Golden Basket | 2012 | cast glass with battuto surface, internal leaf, steel
28 x 33 x 12 inches
My most recent work explores a quiet passion I have for the weathered surface and
the subtleties of light and shadow. For me glass and steel are natural companions. Our
modern world is littered with uninspired, yet very practical examples of what passes for
architecture. In my own way I try to draw order and harmony in my constructions and
in that attempt I sometimes succeed in creating an intimate experience for the viewer.
Robert Gardner | Ashevile, North Carolina
BORN: Miami Beach, Florida, 1962
28 29
River Rock Series, White | 2012 | hot glass, mouth blown, formed on pipe, sandblasted
6 x 25 inches
As a material, hot glass focuses and sustains my interest in the immediate task of
doing, making, while suggesting and sometimes pointing in a direction away from the
particular task. It hints at a melding of hand and mind in a symbiotic process of doing
and becoming, in which each sustains or rejuvenates the other to continue the process.
There are many aspects in the process which can limit or enable one’s imagination and
ability to realize one’s work. Spontaneity, or the serendipitous deviation from the original
plan, has been a wellspring of renewal through the years for me. My work is continually
informed by my study of aesthetics and my observations of the world around me: how
do patterns emerge from chaos; how do things seemingly broken hang together; or the
meditative patterns of the flow of water in and around rocks in a river. Luminosity and
form have become increasingly important in my work.
Judson Guerard | Bakersvile, North Carolina
BORN: Fayettevile, North Carolina, 1951
30 31
Black Bumps #3 | 2010 | handblown and hotworked glass, sandblasted and acid-etched
10 x 6.5 x 6.5 inches
I was originally attracted to hot glass because of its liquid qualities and sense of immediacy.
I have always tried to capture an element of the elegance, fluidity, and whimsy which I
feel are inherent properties of glass. I have usually formulated my own colors, and have
generally used opaque glasses or frosted surfaces, which tend to emphasize the overall
form of each piece. Recently I have been minimizing the color and working with black
glass, to emphasize form, texture, and a bit of mystery. I find that various aspects of my
work take on much more personal connotations for me, although rarely in any explicit
ways. The glass itself can be symbolic of human characteristics: fragile, but durable;
fluid, but hard-edged. For me, the working process brings up possibilities for change and
transformation, both with the material and with the person doing the creating. I think of
my work as an act of communication, not only with myself, but with the viewer as well.
Perhaps what is communicated is more of an attitude than a specific idea. My work,
whether more “sculptural” or “functional” in intent, has maintained a certain continuity
in terms of style. The approaches I use are eclectic and personal at the same time – sort
of a blend of Late Venetian and Early Neurotic.
Robert Levin | Burnsvile, North Carolina
BORN: Baltimore, Maryland, 1948
32 33
What’s Between Us #3 | 2012 | cast glass and copper wire steel
13.5 x 22.75 x 13.75 inches
“What’s Between Us” is the focus of our most recent series after 33 years of artistic
collaboration. Using our hands for the casting we create a portrait of ourselves in which
we examine the complexities of our marriage and artistic relationship. The space between
the hands has become our canvas.
John Littleton + Kate Vogel | Bakersvile, North Carolina
BORN: Madison, Wisconsin, 1957 / Wimpole, England, 1956
34 35
Namba | 2009 | glass, lampblown
22.5 x 6 inches
Glass took me under its spell early when at the age of nine I sat glued in place watching
the traveling lampworkers spin ships and unicorns. Through the years my relationship
with glass has come to define a good bit of who I am. I pursued my interest through an
apprenticeship in scientific glassblowing and then on into the art glass world teaching
and showing my work. Some forty-one years later my fascination with this most universal
of materials is ongoing. From art to manufacturing color and teaching, glass has been a
near life-long companion.
Roger Paramore | Ashevile, North Carolina
BORN: Gainesvile, Florida, 1962
36 37
Mount | 2012 | hot cast phase separated glass, hdf base
24.5 x 23.5 x 14.5 inches
The 200-inch diameter Palomar telescope mirror was intended to be the largest collector of
light in history and thus reveal the secrets of the universe. The story of its creation is one
of tedious triumph over material, process, and failure. My Palomar series is intended as
an acknowledgement and tribute to all those who have overcome the boundaries of glass.
“Mount” is a tiny section in half scale of the enormous disk and offers details of one of
the 36 mounting cavities, brick mold design, and core structure.
Mark Peiser | Penland, North Carolina
BORN: Chicago, Ilinois, 1938
38 39
Blue Satin GOblet Study #1 | 2011 | blown glass, acid-etched wood
34 x 46 x 6 inches
My work is a celebration of traditional techniques, opulent colors, and classical forms.
Keny Pieper | Burnsvile, North Carolina
BORN: Birmingham, Alabama, 1959
40 41
Snow Apples | 2010 | solid glass apples in white with murrinis and latticino
16 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches
My first experience with Western Carolina University and NC Glass began back in 1974.
There were just a handful of glass artists in Western North Carolina then. Little did we
know of the enthusiastic support that WCU and educator/author Joan Byrd would have
for the studio glass movement in the next two decades and beyond. Their biennial NC
Glass exhibitions with carefully crafted catalogs provide a record of the artists and their
growing understanding of glass as a material in our formative years. On a personal note,
I am pleased to feel a part of the WCU family through my sons Richie (with IT systems
engineering at WCU) and William (BFA in theater, 2012.) In this the 50th anniversary
year of the studio glass movement in the United States, I am honored to be a part of
North Carolina Glass 2012.
RICHARD RITTER | Bakersvile, North Carolina
BORN: Detroit, Michigan, 1940
42 43
Spectral Reflections | 2012 | laminated crystal, cut and polished
5.68 inches diameter
I taught myself the fundamentals of hot glass with a furnace I constructed out of an old
55-gallon steel drum. My fascination with this unique and diverse medium grew and led
to my graduate work with Kent Ipsen.
It’s my desire to involve the viewer in exploring the interior/exterior design. I see the
chromatics and configurations as a reflection of a redeemed creation with its order and
vibrant energy, from God who thought it good to give beauty to humanity.
Robert Stephan | Ashevile, North Carolina
BORN: Long Beach, California, 1949
44 45
HOME | 2012 | hot sculpted glass and metal
12.75 x 21.75 x 8.75 inches
We make pieces that we ourselves would like to live with. Our backgrounds as painters
led us to relate clay forms as three-dimensional canvases; blowing glass, the dimensions
of motion and flow were added. After some experience, we found that working in crystal
glass allows us to use reflections and two sides of the piece visually interacting, as
well as the pure optical qualities of the medium. To achieve these added dimensions, it
has become of utmost importance that the basic glass be immaculate and this control
has only been reached with years of batch tests and equipment refinement. We use
lampworked imagery in some of our work. Nature is our inspiration. We use nature as
impulse; bleeding over feelings and fantasies, we add and delete as necessary to achieve
a piece that will evoke a feeling of wonder and intrigue.
Yaf fa + Jef Todd | Burnsvile, North Carolina
BORN: Tel Aviv, Israel, 1951 / Phila delphia, Pennsylvania, 1954
46 47
Balance of Love I | 2012 | blown glass, off-axis reticello, murrini cane roll-up, off-axis incalmo technique
6.75 x 9.75 x 4 inches
Glass, as a complex medium, adds an extra element to my art that cannot be duplicated
with any other media. It is an ever-changing material, full of life of its own that requires
immediate decision-making, demanding complete presence to the moment on hand, and
with it becomes an extension of my personality. It has a mysterious and wondrous quality
of acting simultaneously as liquid and solid.
My art is a transformation of shapes and colors that highlight and reveal my inner self.
The use of multiple colors and patterns at times happens as randomly as thoughts come
and go, as quickly as emotions change. The latest work I created is a progression of
several classical, yet newer, bolder and freer forms. These sculptural pieces further define
the images and emotions of my imagination that I capture to share with my audience.
Tadashi Tori | Sylva, North Carolina
BORN: Osaka, Japan, 1967
48 49
Purple Battuto | 2012 | blown and cold worked glass
11 x 10 inches
Form over function is a rule I live by. Although many of the forms I work with may
insinuate function, this is not my main intention. Each piece is carefully shaped in the
hot shop to accent the use of patterns and surface texture. Grinding glass has become
such an important part of what I do I rarely make something that I don’t intend to change
the entire surface. This has become almost compulsive for me as I feel the need to break
the surface tension left by the fire-polished look of blown glass. It is my goal to maintain
simple forms and clean color application and use these as a canvas to apply different
patterns and textures. I am constantly trying to push my limits as an artist, not only
working larger but creating forms that are more challenging to make. For me, the future
holds the challenge of deciding what forms demand what colors.
Justin Turcot te | Ashevile, North Carolina
BORN: Augusta, Maine, 1979
50 51
If the Borrowers were Bunnies | 2011 | etched blown glass, flameworked glass, fabric and found objects
26 x 26 x 11.5 inches
On a recent visit to my mother’s home in Pennsylvania, my sister and I rummaged through
closets filled with 60 years of collecting. Memories flooded back as we unearthed a
colorful collection of blown vessels from the 1950s and 1960s, all purchased at Blenko
and the Hammond Glassworks in West Virginia during our yearly pilgrimages to my
Grandma and Granddad Given’s home in Hurricane. Each summer the highlight of our
visit was a trip to spend the day at these two hot glass factories. In college, when I had
the opportunity to sign up for a hot glass class at Philadelphia College of Art in 1972, I
jumped at the chance. I couldn’t believe my good fortune … to finally dip into the liquid
crystal. Looking back on the life I have shared with my husband, Richard, hot glass and
family have blended together seamlessly as we treaded the path between the studio and
our house, as we made the glass furnace our hearth, and as our children grew up and
left … each leaving their imprint on our creative lives. A pile of children’s books are left
behind … “The Borrowers” among them, one of my daughter Kaete’s favorites. Could the
“Borrowers” be bunnies? Maybe so!
Jan Wiliams | Bakersvile, North Carolina
BORN: New York, New York, 1952
52 53
Artist Inform ation
Rick Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Edmonton, Alberta , Canada , 1960..............................................................................................................56
Valerie Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Hastings, Nebraska, 1960......................................................................................................................56
Gary BeechaM | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Ladysmith, Wisconsin, 1955.................................................................................................................56
Alex Bernstein | ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Spruce Pine, North Carolina, 1972......................................................................................................57
Katherine Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark , New Jersey, 1945.........................................................................................................57
William Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark , New Jersey, 1945.............................................................................................................57
Ken Carder | Vilas , North Carolina | Born: Lima, Ohio, 1955....................................................................................................................................................58
Shane Fero | Penland , North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1953...................................................................................................................................58
Robert Gardner | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Miami Beach, Florida 1962...................................................................................................................58
Judson Guerard | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Fayetevile, North Carolina, 1951................................................................................................59
Robert Levin | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Baltimore , Maryland, 1948....................................................................................................................59
John Littleton + Kate Vogel | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Madison, Wisconsin, 1957 / Wimpole, England , 1956..............................................59
Roger Parramore | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Gainesvile, Florida, 1962.................................................................................................................60
Mark Peiser | Penland , North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1938.................................................................................................................................60
Kenny Pieper | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Birmingham, Alabama, 1959...................................................................................................................60
Richard Ritter | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Detroit, Michigan, 1940......................................................................................................................61
Robert Stephan | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Long Beach, California, 1949..............................................................................................................61
Yafa + Jef Todd | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Tel Aviv, Israel, 1951 / Philadelphia , Pensylvania, 1954............................................................61
Tadashi Torii | Sylva, North Carolina | Born: Osaka, Japan , 1967............................................................................................................................................62
Justin Turcotte | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Augusta , Maine, 1979...........................................................................................................................62
Jan Williams | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: New York, New York, 1952......................................................................................................................62
Harvey K. Littleton + Friends | November 19, 2006 – March 3, 2007 | an exhibition at the Fine Art Museum, WCU
54 55
Education and Related Experience
2007.............................................. Instructor, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
2005.....................................................Instructor, Penland School, Penland, North Carolina
1980-85.......................................Assistant to Harvey Littleton, Spruce Pine, North Carolina
1979................................................BS in art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Exhibitions
Blue Spiral Gallery........................................................................Asheville, North Carolina
William King Regional Arts Center........................................................... Abingdon, Virginia
Maurine Littleton Gallery..........................................................................Washington, D.C.
Galerie Internationale du Verre......................................................................... Biot, France
International Exhibition of Glass................................................................Kanazawa, Japan
selected Collections
Musee de Verre............................................................................................Liege, Belgium
Glasmuseum Frauenau............................................................................Bavaria, Germany
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
N.C. Museum of History................................................................... Raleigh, North Carolina
J + L Lobmeyer..........................................................................................Vienna, Austria
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Gary BechaM | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Ladysmith, Wisconsin, 1955
Education and Related Experience
1990...........................................Masterworks fellowship, Creative Glass Center of America
1983....................................................................... North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship
1968-70..................... Artist in residence, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1968............................................................ BFA, Philadelphia College of Art, Pennsylvania
Exhibitions
Vessels: From Use to Symbol........................... American Craft Museum, New York, New York
Glass from the Corning Collection..........................................Spaso House, Moscow, Russia
National Craft Invitational, Arkansas Arts Center Decorative Arts Museum.........Little Rock, Arkansas
Glass Masters................................................. Somerhill Gallery, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
NC Glass Reunion, Blue Spiral 1....................................................Asheville, North Carolina
selected Collections
Corning Museum of Glass........................................................................Corning, New York
National Collection of Fine Art...................................................................Washington, D.C.
Australian Council for the Arts..................................................................Sydney, Australia
R.J. Reynolds Collection....................................................... Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Glasmuseum Frauenau......................................................................... Frauenau, Germany
Yamaha Corporation........................................................................................Tokyo, Japan
Wiliam Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark, New Jersey, 1945
Education and Related Experience
2000, 2003.............................. Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1968-70................................... Artist in residence, Penland School of Crafts, North Carolina
1967............................................................ BFA, Philadelphia College of Art, Pennsylvania
Exhibitions
Grohe Glass Gallery, with William Bernstein......................................Boston, Massachusetts
Marx Gallery, with William Bernstein...........................................................Chicago, Illinois
North Carolina Glass Community, Galerie Angela Hollings......................... Hamelin, Germany
Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical, American Craft Museum................... New York, New York
Translucence, Glaxo Inc., Research Triangle..................................... Durham, North Carolina
selected Collections
Asheville Art Museum....................................................................Asheville, North Carolina
Smithsonian Institution............................................................................Washington, D.C.
Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art..................................................................Sapporo, Japan
Chrysler Museum...................................................................................... Norfolk, Virginia
Duke University Hospital, Women’s Wing......................................... Durham, North Carolina
Katherine Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark, New Jersey, 1945
Education and Related Experience
2009................................................ Instructor, Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, Washington
2004-2007...........................Instructor, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, Massachusetts
2003................................................ Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
2001....MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology, The School for American Crafts. Rochester, New York
1996....................... BA, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, North Carolina
Exhibitions
American Glass Museum..................................................................... Millville, New Jersey
Chappell Gallery................................................................................... New York, New York
Blue Spiral 1................................................................................ Asheville, North Carolina
Sandra Ainsley Gallery.............................................................................. Toronto, Canada
Prism Contemporary Glass......................................................................... Chicago, Illinois
selected Collections
Philadelphia Museum of Art....................................................... Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Museum of Fine Arts..................................................................... Boston, Massachusetts
Palm Springs Art Museum.............................................................. Palm Springs, California
Corning Museum of Glass...................................................................... Corning, New York
Glassmuseum Frauenau....................................................................... Frauenau, Germany
Alex Bernstein | ashevile, North Carolina | BORN: Spruce Pine, North Carolina, 1972
Education and Related Experience
1994, 2000.............................. Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1991-94..................... Artist in residence, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1989......................................MFA in glass, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
1982.......................................................... BA in art, Hastings College, Hastings, Nebraska
Exhibitions
Form, Color, Light, Vero Beach Museum of Art.........................................Vero Beach, Florida
Habatat Galleries.................................................................................Palm Beach, Florida
Ken Saunders Gallery.................................................................................Chicago, Illinois
Rick Beck, Habatat Galleries................................................................ Royal Oak, Michigan
Rick Beck, Habatat Galleries.............................................................Tysons Corner, Virginia
selected Collections
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Hickory Museum of Art.................................................................... Hickory, North Carolina
McDonalds Corporate Collection................................................................Oakbrook, Illinois
Muskegon Museum of Art.................................................................... Muskegon, Michigan
Ogden Museum of Southern Art....................................................... New Orleans, Louisiana
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
Rick Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1960
Education and Related Experience
1994....................................... Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1991-94.................... Artist in Residence, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1989.......................................................... Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
1982...................................................................BA, Hastings College, Hastings, Nebraska
Exhibitions
Thomas Riley Galleries............................................................................... Cleveland, Ohio
Shared Vision, Christa Faut Gallery............................................... Cornelius, North Carolina
Snyderman Gallery.....................................................................Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
River Gallery................................................................................. Chattanooga, Tennessee
Gallerie Alegria................................................................................ Birmingham, Alabama
selected Collections
Federal Reserve Bank................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Johnson Wax Corporate Collection........................................................... Racine, Wisconsin
McDonalds Corporate Collection................................................................Oakbrook, Illinois
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
University of North Carolina.......................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
Valerie Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Hastings, Nebraska, 1960
56 57
Education and Related Experience
1984-88.................................... Artist in residence Penland School, Penland, North Carolina
1981-84.......................................Assistant to Harvey Littleton, Spruce Pine, North Carolina
1981.................................................... Assistant to William Bernstein, Celo, North Carolina
1981................................................... Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Education and Related Experience
1976-1980............................... Resident, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1974..................................................MFA, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
1972....................................................... Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1971..................................................................... BFA, Denison University, Granville, Ohio
John Littleton – Education and Related Experience
1979...................................................... BSA, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
1974......................................................... Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, Michigan
Kate Vogel – Education and Related Experience
1978...................................................... BSA, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
1977............................................................ Santa Reperata Graphic Center, Florence, Italy
Education and Related Experience
2005...........................Excellence in Glass Art, Art in the Park, Blowing Rock, North Carolina
1989-93.................................................. Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1978................................................................. MA, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii
1974................... BA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Education and Related Experience
1996....................................... Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1994 ........................................ MFA, MA, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
1988....................................................... Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1985.......................................... BFA, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California
Education and Related Experience
1989-2004.............................. Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
2008......................................................... Instructor, Eugene Glass School, Eugene, Oregon
1997-2003................. Instructor, Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
1999, 2010........................................ Instructor, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, Washington
Exhibitions
Hephaestus Gallery............................................................................. Bowling Green, Ohio
Barstons Gallery................................................................................. Baltimore, Maryland
Habatat Gallery........................................................................................Detroit, Michigan
Habatat Gallery..................................................................................... Bay Harbor, Florida
Riley Hawk Gallery..................................................................................... Columbus, Ohio
Exhibitions
Fire on the Mountain, Asheville Art Museum........................................... Asheville, North Carolina
Born from Fire: American Studio Glass, Columbia Museum of Art............ Columbia, South Carolina
Solo Exhibition, Cape Fear Galleries........................................... Fayetteville, North Carolina
Influence, 25 Years of Glass Art, Workhouse Arts Center................................Lorton, Virginia
Art in Public Places...................................................................... City of Bristol, Tennessee
Collaborative Exhibitions
Fire on the Mountain, Asheville Art Museum........................................... Asheville, North Carolina
Spark and Flame, Chazen Museum of Art....................................................... Madison, Wisconsin
Sculptural Objects + Functional Art (SOFA)......................................................... Chicago, Illinois
Solo collaboration, Hodgell Gallery......................................................................Sarasota, Florida
Solo collaboration, Piedmont Craftsmen.........................................Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Exhibitions
High Five Group Invitational, Cabarrus County Arts Council...............Concord, North Carolina
Glass Now, National Liberty Museum.........................................Philadelphia, North Carolina
The Winter Show, Green Hill Center for N.C. Art........................... Greensboro, North Carolina
Art Auction, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Association..................Montgomery, Alabama
Artists Invitational Exhibition, Waterworks Visual Arts Center.......... Salisbury, North Carolina
Exhibitions
Fire on the Mountain, Asheville Art Museum...................................Asheville, North Carolina
New Work, Eno Gallery..............................................................Hillsborough, North Carolina
Christa Faut Gallery..................................................................... Davidson, North Carolina
Center of the Earth....................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
BoBo Gallery.................................................................................Asheville, North Carolina
Exhibitions
Flame/Flight/Philosophy, Ross Gallery, Christian Brothers University......Memphis, Tennessee
7 plus 11, Eisch Galerie am Museum..................................................... Frauenau, Germany
Intersection: Work from the Sutherland Artists-In-Residence Series, University of Louisville’s
Cressman Center................................................................................. Louisville, Kentucky
Collector’s Choice: 30 Years of Celebrating N.C. Art, Green Hill Center for N.C. Art.........Greensboro, N.C.
Glass Quake Again 2010, Mobilia Gallery.................................... Cambridge, Massachusetts
selected Collections
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Asheville Museum of Art................................................................Asheville, North Carolina
Oberglas Museum.................................................................................. Barnbach, Austria
Swarovski Glass Museum....................................................................................... Austria
Museum of American Glass, Wheaton Village........................................ Millville, New Jersey
selected Collections
Corning Museum of Glass........................................................................Corning, New York
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Glasmuseum Frauenau......................................................................... Frauenau, Germany
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
High Museum of Art................................................................................... Atlanta, Georgia
North Carolina Museum of History.................................................... Raleigh, North Carolina
selected Collections
Corning Museum of Glass........................................................................Corning, New York
Glasmuseum Frauenau......................................................................... Frauenau, Germany
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
North Carolina Museum of History.................................................... Raleigh, North Carolina
Oberglas Museum.................................................................................. Barnbach, Austria
White House Collection, Clinton Library............................................... Little Rock, Arkansas
selected Collections
Muskegon Museum of Art.................................................................... Muskegon, Michigan
selected Collections
Museum of American Glass, Wheaton Village........................................ Millville, New Jersey
Hunter Museum of Art................................................................... Chattanooga, Tennessee
selected Collections
Museum of Art and Design....................................................................................New York
Glasmuseum...........................................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Asheville Art Museum...................................................................................North Carolina
Huntsville Museum of Art..................................................................................... Alabama
Museum fur Glaskunst...........................................................................Lauscha, Germany
Niijima Glass Art Center........................................................................................... Japan
Ken Carder
Robert Levin
John Litt leton + Kate Vogel
Judson Guerard
Robert Gardner
Shane Fero
| Vi la s, North Carolina | Born: Lima, Ohio, 1955
| Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Baltimore, Maryland, 1948
| Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Madison, Wisconsin, 1957 / Wimpole, England, 1956
| Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Fayettevile, North Carolina, 1951
| Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Miami Beach, Florida, 1962
| Penland, North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1953
58 59
Education and Related Experience
.............................................. Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1989.........................................MA, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina
1987......................................... BA, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina
1978-80............................. Glass apprenticeship, Southern Scientific Inc, Micanopy, Florida
Education and Related Experience
2011........North Carolina Living Treasure, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina
1972-76..................... Artist in residence, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1969....................................................... BA, Center for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan
1968....................................... Honorary DFA, Center for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan
Education and Related Experience
2000................................................Guest lecturer, Contemporary Glass Art Society, Great Britain
1976...........................................BFA in ceramics, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
1974.....................................................AA, Broward Community College, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Jeff Todd – Education and Related Experience
1991....................................... Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1978.................................................. BFA, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
1973.................................................................... Archy Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
Yaffa Todd – Education and Related Experience
1991........................................... Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1977............................................ MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
1973............................................ BFA, Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Education and Related Experience
1996-2002.........Glass studio coordinator, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1979-80.................... BFA in glass, California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, California
1977-79................. Center for Creative Studies, College of Art and Design, Detroit, Michigan
1974-77.................................................. Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
Education and Related Experience
2010........................................................... Lifetime Achievement Award, Glass Art Society
2004................................ Lifetime Achievement Award, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass
1967-1970.............................. Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1961................................................... BSD, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
1957..........................................................................Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana
Exhibitions
Make It New, Asheville Art Museum................................................Asheville, North Carolina
International Vessel Invitational, Kentucky Museum of Craft+Design...... Louisville, Kentucky
Glass Masters, Naples Museum of Art/Philharmonic Center for the Arts.........Naples, Florida
Glass Glorious Glass, National Museum of American Art...............................Washington, DC
The Vessel: A National Glass Invitational, Ellen Noel Art Museum.................... Odessa, Texas
Exhibitions
Richard Ritter – North Carolina Living Treasure, Cameron Art Museum.......Wilmington, North Carolina
Richard Ritter – A Life in Glass, Ogden Museum of Southern Art........ New Orleans, Louisiana
Richard Ritter – 40 Years in Glass, Toe River Arts Council........................... Spruce Pine, North Carolina
40 Years in Glass, The Fine Art Museum of Western Carolina University...........Cullowhee, North Carolina
Richard Ritter – Suspended Expressions, Visions in Glass, University of Michigan..........Dearborn, Michigan
Exhibitions
Chrysler Museum......................................................................................................Norfolk, Virginia
Mint Museum..............................................................................................Charlotte, North Carolina
Corning Museum of Glass...................................................................................... Corning, New York
Denmark Glas Museum......................................................................................... Ebeltoft, Denmark
Exhibitions
Verriales, Gallerie International du Verre......................................................................... Biot, France
Fire on the Mountain, Asheville Art Museum................................................ Asheville, North Carolina
The Galleries...............................................................................................Cabarrus, North Carolina
Vitrum Gallerie............................................................................................ Asheville, North Carolina
Kittrell-Riffkind Art Glass...............................................................................................Dallas, Texas
Exhibitions
2012, Featured artist, Kuivato Gallery........................................................ Sedona, Arizona
2011, Handle with Care, Carrus Arts Council...................................Concord, North Carolina
2010, Collector’s Choice, Green Hill Center for N.C. Art............... Greensboro, North Carolina
2007, Kenny Pieper, RedSky Gallery............................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
2007, Featured artist, Glass Symphony.......................................................... Bend, Oregon
Exhibitions
Spotlight 2006: American Craft Council South East Regional Juried Exhibition, Kentucky
Museum of Art and Craft...................................................................... Louisville, Kentucky
The 2006 Governor’s Executive Mansion North Carolina Craft Exhibition, in association with
the Mint Museum......................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
New Works 2005: Celebrating Recent Gifts to RAM, Racine Art Museum............ Racine, Wisconsin
Fall Colors, Blue Spiral 1...............................................................Asheville, North Carolina
Commitment: Ten over Ten, Marx-Saunders Gallery......................................Chicago, Illinois
selected Collections
The Imperial Household of Japan........................................................................................
Kobe Lampwork Museum................................................................................. Kobe, Japan
Niijima Glass Art Center........................................................................................... Japan
National Museum of American Art.............................................................Washington, D.C.
selected Collections
Blowing Rock Art and History Museum..................................... Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Corning Museum of Glass........................................................................Corning, New York
J + L Lobmeyr............................................................................................Vienna, Austria
Museum of Glass................................................................................ Tacoma, Washington
Smithsonian American Art Museum...........................................................Washington, D.C.
White House Art Collection........................................................................Washington, D.C.
selected Collections
Bank of Virginia.........................................................................................................Norfolk, Virginia
Best Products Corporation.................................................................................... Richmond, Virginia
American Interfaith Institute.....................................................................Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Georgia Power and Light........................................................................................... Atlanta, Georgia
Glaxo Corporation................................................................. Reasearch Triangle Park, North Carolina
Rosen Group......................................................................................................Baltimore, Maryland
selected Collections
Glasmuseum Frauenau........................................................................................ Frauenau, Germany
Mint Museum..............................................................................................Charlotte, North Carolina
Wheaton Museum of Historical Glass.................................................................. Millville, New Jersey
Asheville Museum of Art.............................................................................. Asheville, North Carolina
Ford Collection................................................................................................... Rochester, New York
Galerie Internationale du Verre....................................................................................... Biot, France
selected Collections
Corning Glass Museum............................................................................Corning, New York
Asheville Art Museum....................................................................Asheville, North Carolina
New Orleans Museum of Art.................................................................................Louisiana
Hickory Museum of Art.................................................................................North Carolina
New Bedford Museum of Glass....................................................................Massachusetts
selected Collections
Art Institute of Chicago...............................................................................Chicago, Illinois
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
Peggy Guggenheim Collection........................................................................... Venice, Italy
Tokyo Museum of Modern Art...........................................................................Tokyo, Japan
Museum of Arts + Design.................................................................... New York, New York
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Roger Paramore Richard Riter
Robert Stephan
Keny Peipr Yaaff + Jef Todd
Mark Peiser
| Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Gainesvile, Florida, 1962 | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Detroit, Michigan, 1940
| Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Long Beach, California, 1949
| Burnsvile, North Caroilna | Born: Birmingham, Alabama, 1959 | Burnsvile, North Caroilna | Born: Tel Aviv, Israel, 1951 / Phaildelphai, pennsylvanai, 1954
| Penland, North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1938
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Education and Related Experience
2010.......Intense Goblets + Sculpture Workshop, Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, Millville, New Jersey
2009........................................................Workshops at Flame Tree Glass, Roswell, Georgia
............................................Associate artist, instructor, Jackson County Green Energy Park
1997............. BFA glassblowing/sculpture, Georgia Southwestern State University, Americus, Georgia
Education and Related Experience
................................................................... Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1977............................................... Artist in residence, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1974................................................................................. Penland School of Crafts, concentration course
................................................ BFA, Crafts at the Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Education and Related Experience
Current............................................... Metal shop assistant, Hoss Haley Studio, Asheville, North Carolina
2010....................................................Studio assistant, Penland School of Craft, Penland, North Carolina
2009..........Furnace-building workshop & glass technician, Penland School of Craft, Penland, North Carolina
2001.....................................................................BA, Franklin Pierce University, Rindge, New Hampshire
Exhibitions
A Kaleidoscope of Shapes and Colors, Jackson County Green Energy Park..... Dillsboro, North Carolina
Art + Energy Group Show, Jackson County Green Energy Park.........Dillsboro, North Carolina
Discoveries in Glass, Arts Clayton Gallery................................................... Clayton, Georgia
Tadashi Torii Solo Exhibition, dk Gallery.....................................................Marietta, Georgia
23rd National Juried Art Exhibition, Mable House Arts Center.................... Mableton, Georgia
Exhibitions
Penland School of Crafts Resident Artists Exhibition, Folk Art Center............ Asheville, North Carolina
Telling a Story … Narrative Work in Craft, Penland Gallery.............................Penland, North Carolina
Passionate Collectors: Sonjia and Isaac Luski, North Carolina State University......Raleigh, North Carolina
North Carolina Glass, R. Duane Reed Gallery........................................................ St. Louis, Missouri
Glass from North Carolina, Glasmuseum Ebeltoft................................................... Ebeltoft, Denmark
Exhibitions
Blue Spiral 1............................................................................................... Asheville, North Carolina
Design Gallery............................................................................................Burnsville, North Carolina
Cabarrus Arts Council.................................................................................. Concord, North Carolina
Green Hill Center for NC Art......................................................................Greensboro, North Carolina
Flood Gallery............................................................................................... Asheville, North Carolina
selected Collections
Four Seasons Hotel................................................................................... Atlanta, Georgia
Tifton Museum of Arts and Heritage..............................................................Tifton, Georgia
Wiregrass Museum of Art..........................................................................Dothan, Alabama
Albany Museum of Art................................................................................ Albany, Georgia
Tennessee State Museum................................................................... Nashville, Tennessee
selected Collections
High Museum of Art................................................................................... Atlanta, Georgia
R.J. Reynolds Industries Corporation.................................... Winston Salem, North Carolina
Corning Museum of Glass........................................................................Corning, New York
George and Dorothy Saxe Collection............................................... San Francisco, California
Tadashi Tori
Jan Wiliams
Justin Turcot te
| Sylva, North Carolina | Born: Osaka, Japan, 1967
| Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: New York, New York, 1952
| Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Augusta, Maine, 1979
The Fine Art Museum serves as a cultural catalyst to celebrate and preserve the artistic legacy of the western North Carolina region with a developing focus to collect, interpret and
showcase innovation in contemporary art of high artistic merit. The Museum serves the campus and community as:
• A learning laboratory stressing exploration while challenging contemporary artists from throughout the region and nation to create new art forms utilizing not only conventional
tools and processes but also new modes of expression and state of the art technology.
• A teaching museum by facilitating scholarly research, interactive art education, academic curriculum support, enrichment and life-long learning for children and adults of all ages
and backgrounds while featuring the creativity and innovation of cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• A focal point for encouraging dialogue toward greater understanding of contemporary art in its diverse forms and processes in the context of its communication capacity and bridge
potential inspired from local mountain traditions to a myriad of cross-cultural historical references.
The University of North Carolina
Thomas W. Ross, President
Western Carolina University Administration
David O. Belcher, Chancellor
Dianne Lynch, Chief of Staff
Angela Brenton, Provost & Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
Robert Edwards, Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance
Clifton Metcalf, Vice Chancellor for Advancement & External Affairs
Sam Miller, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Craig Fowler, Chief Information Officer
Mary Ann Lochner, General Counsel
Robert Kehrberg, Dean, College of Fine & Performing Arts
Matt Liddle, Director, School of Art & Design
Fine Art Museum Staff
Denise Drury, Interim Director and Curator
Anne Lane, Interim Curatorial Specialist
Kevin Kirkpatrick, Museum Technician
Greg McPherson, Exhibit Designer
Dawn Behling, Visitor Services Manager
Laura Sellers, Business Officer
Jessica Kovacs, Museum Intern
Carrie Croom, Museum Intern
Lisa Maddox, Museum Assistant
Design
Rubae Schoen, Director, Creative Services, WCU
Zack Keys, Graphic Designer, Creative Services, WCU
Photography
Ashley Evans, Photography Services, WCU
Courtesy of the artists
Frank Bott
John Littleton
Jan Williams
Denise Drury
Supporters of North Carolina Glass 2012
School of Art and Design North Carolina Glass Fund
Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass
Randall and Susan Parrott Ward
College of Fine & Performing Arts
Jackson County Green Energy Park
Friends of the Arts at WCU
Fine Art Museum Mision Statement
Acknowledgements
Bardo Arts Center
Western Carolina University
199 Centennial Drive
Cullowhee, NC 28723
Museum Hours
10 a.m – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday
10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Thursdays
Closed University Holidays
fineartmuseum.wcu.edu
museum@wcu.edu
828.227.3591
WCU is a University of North Carolina campus and an Equal Oportunity Institution. 750 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $7,101 or $9.47 each. Ofice of Creati ve Services | OCT. 2012 | 12-593
62 63

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A notable exhibition cannot take place without noteworthy supporters, whose contributions have played an integral role in the success of this exhibit.
Thank you to our generous benefactors, including the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, which provided the funding to make this exhibition catalogue
a reality, School of Art and Design North Carolina Glass Fund, College of Fine and Performing Arts, Jackson County Green Energy Park, and the Jackson
County Arts Council. Thank you to our founding members and new Friends of the Arts, whose annual membership provides valuable support and defines
the Fine Art Museum’s role in the cultural life of our community.
Above all, we are grateful to the 23 exceptional artists featured in this exhibition. Their mastery of studio glass and their fearlessness to explore the
medium are what make this exhibition spectacular and dynamic.
On behalf of the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University, I hope you enjoy this distinctive exhibition and catalogue publication commemorating
North Carolina Glass 2012: In Celebration of 50 Years of Studio Glass in America.
Denise Drury
Chief Curator & Interim Director
Fine Art Museum
Western Carolina University
The Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University is honored to present North Carolina Glass 2012: In Celebration of 50 Years of Studio Glass in
America as the leading exhibit for our 2012-13 season of exhibitions and programs. This exhibition both celebrates the artistic achievements of a
community of artists and recognizes the significant contribution the state of North Carolina has made in the advancement of studio glass in America.
Western Carolina University has been a stakeholder in the studio glass movement since the launch of the North Carolina Glass exhibition series in 1974
by Joan Falconer Byrd, professor of art in the WCU School of Art and Design. It is because of her keen interest, knowledge of the medium and its
capabilities, and passion for the future of studio glass in North Carolina that this series has endured and remains a focus of The Fine Art Museum.
Throughout this exhibition one will see a variety of styles, techniques and form created by several generations of North Carolina glass artists. North
Carolina Glass 2012 features traditional glass blowing as well as new experimental forms that push the boundaries of studio glass, creating a dynamic
experience for the viewer. Across technique and generations, one constant remains: the passion for exploring the medium.
An exhibition of this scope would not be possible without the help of many dedicated friends and colleagues. Early conversations with Joan Byrd inspired
the exhibit concept and focus. Joan’s documentation of the glass community in North Carolina, the U.S. and abroad over the last 50 years is what has
made this exhibition so rich in experience. The Fine Art Museum’s staff provided exceptional collaboration in exhibition planning and implementation.
Museum studio technician Kevin Kirkpatrick and exhibit designer Greg McPherson provided outstanding exhibition preparation and installation. Visitor
services manager Dawn Behling continues to provide valuable frontline museum security and public information. Of particular note is Jessica Kovacs,
whose attention to detail in gathering extensive content for this catalogue has proven invaluable. Thank you to our interns, Carrie Croom, Christy
Harrison and Lisa Maddox, and students of the museum’s exhibition practicum course who provide critical assistance working with our professional
staff to gain hands-on experience in exhibition management and professional practices.
On the occasion of this major exhibition we must acknowledge the contributions of our extended support team at Western Carolina University. Our appreciation
goes to Rubae Schoen, WCU’s director of creative services, for excellent and timely management of all publications related to this exhibit, and to designer
Zack Keys for an exquisite catalogue design. The following individuals and organizations made significant contributions to the promotion of this exhibition
on campus and throughout the region. I want to acknowledge Jill Ingram, news services; Ashley Evans, photography, Laura Huff, eMarketing; Lori Davis,
Arts and Cultural Events (ACE); the WCU Print Shop; Courtney Thompson and Beth Denmon, CFPA Dean’s Office; and Meg White and Jim Miller, Office
of Advancement. We thank Provost Angela Brenton and Dr. Robert Kehrberg, dean of the College of Fine & Performing Arts, for their continuing support
of the Fine Art Museum as a learning laboratory. We want to acknowledge Dianne Lynch and the Office of the Chancellor for their special interest in the
Fine Art Museum and particularly to Chancellor David Belcher for his ongoing support of the Fine Art Museum.
NORTH CAROLINA GLASS 2012 | Introduction | Denise Drury
4 5
As the United States celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the studio glass movement this year, North Carolina may take pride in its role
in the explosive development of this rich and demanding medium in contemporary art.
In 2012, when one may even learn the rudiments of glassblowing aboard a cruise ship, it is astonishing to reflect that until Harvey K. Littleton placed a
blowpipe in the hands of the artist in his groundbreaking workshops at the Toledo Museum of Art in 1962, hot glass working was the exclusive province
of industry. Littleton’s two workshops in Toledo provided welcome publicity for the investigation of hot glass, but above all, they gave credibility to his
vision. That fall, Littleton taught a glassblowing class at the University of Wisconsin, introducing glass into the university system in the U.S.
North Carolina joined the studio glass movement just three years later when Bill Brown, then director of Penland School of Crafts, invited Littleton to
the school in the western mountains of the state. Planning to visit fellow glass pioneer Erwin Eisch in Bavaria in summer 1965, Littleton sent a graduate
student, Bill Boysen, to Penland in his stead. Boysen accepted the challenge of building a glass facility on a shoestring budget of $200, initiating the
program that has made North Carolina a powerful force in the evolution of glass as a creative medium.
The early instructors at Penland were current and former Littleton students: Dale Chihuly, for one, taught there prior to founding Pilchuck Glass School.
As studio glass programs proliferated across the country and in Europe, artists of widely varied backgrounds came to study and teach. Before long, a
community of glass artists formed in Western North Carolina, due in large part to Penland’s artist in residence program that Brown extended to the
medium of glass in 1967. The founding meetings of the Glass Art Society took place at Penland in 1971 and 1972. GAS, as it is known, is now an
international organization with a membership of more than 4,000 artists and glass enthusiasts worldwide.
Former Littleton student Fritz Dreisbach, then an instructor at Penland, built a glass furnace on the Western Carolina University campus in 1972, and
the university established a small glass program that was to continue for two decades. In the same year, Western Carolina organized an exhibition of
the work of all the artists in the state then exploring the medium of hot glass. Three of the 10 individuals in North Carolina Glass ’74 are in the current
show. Mark Peiser and Billy Bernstein had both been artists in residence at Penland School and had settled nearby, and Richard Ritter was a resident
in glass at the time. The presentation at the opening of the show was given by Lee Nordness, gallery owner, curator and author of Objects: USA.
NORTH CAROLINA GLASS | JOAN FALCONER BYRD
Untitled (copper blue loop on clear base) | Harvey K. Litleton | 1976 | blown glass with engraved line
13.75 x 7.25 x 4 inches
6 7
Opening on a snowy Super Bowl Sunday, North Carolina Glass ’76 introduced the audience to the work of Penland’s new resident in glass, Rob Levin,
and to the sculptures of Littleton, who exhibited as the event’s visiting speaker. On their drive back to Wisconsin, Littleton and his wife, Bess, visited
friends living near Penland School and were so taken with the area that they moved to nearby Spruce Pine within the year. An honored member of the
glass community since this date, Littleton both exhibited his work in each of the subsequent North Carolina Glass shows and partially underwrote the
catalogue costs for the series, which continued on a more or less regular basis until 1990. Beginning in 1978 the exhibitions traveled to venues beyond
Western North Carolina, and versions of the 1984 and 1986 shows traveled to galleries in Europe. Subtitled “The Next Generation,” the glass exhibition
presented by Western Carolina University in 1995 included only the artists who were new to the state.
The art of glass in North Carolina remains a special interest of Western Carolina University, which boasts the unique archive of vitreographs, prints
made from glass plates at Littleton Studios. It is a privilege to present the 2012 exhibition in the Fine Art Museum of the College of Fine and Performing
Arts, a new space on campus that is the perfect showcase for glass.
Including a far greater number of artists than before and brilliantly demonstrating a wide range of glass working techniques, North Carolina Glass 2012
both commemorates the birth of the studio glass movement 50 years ago and marks Littleton’s 90th birthday. There could be no finer celebration of
Littleton’s life than this rich expression of the community which surrounds him, the world-class artists who continue to extend his contributions to
contemporary art and among whom he is at home.
Joan Falconer Byrd
Professor of Art
School of Art and Design
Western Carolina University
Sliced Descending Form | Harvey K. Litleton | 1985 | hot worked glass with multiple overlays
12.25 x 15 x 5.75 inches
8 9
THE Artists
Rick Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Edmonton, Alberta , Canada , 1960..............................................................................................................12
Valerie Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Hastings, Nebraska, 1960......................................................................................................................14
Gary BeechaM | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Ladysmith, Wisconsin, 1955.................................................................................................................16
Alex Bernstein | ashevile, North Carolina | born: Spruce Pine, North Carolina, 1972......................................................................................................18
Katherine Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark , New Jersey, 1945.........................................................................................................20
William Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark , New Jersey, 1945.............................................................................................................22
Ken Carder | Vilas , North Carolina | Born: Lima, Ohio, 1955....................................................................................................................................................24
Shane Fero | Penland , North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1953...................................................................................................................................26
Robert Gardner | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Miami Beach, Florida, 1962..................................................................................................................28
Judson Guerard | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Fayetevile, North Carolina, 1951................................................................................................30
Robert Levin | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Baltimore , Maryland, 1948....................................................................................................................32
John Littleton + Kate Vogel | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Madison, Wisconsin, 1957 / Wimpole, England , 1956..............................................34
Roger Parramore | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Gainesvile, Florida, 1962.................................................................................................................36
Mark Peiser | Penland , North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1938.................................................................................................................................38
Kenny Pieper | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Birmingham, Alabama, 1959...................................................................................................................40
Richard Ritter | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Detroit, Michigan, 1940......................................................................................................................42
Robert Stephan | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Long Beach, California, 1949..............................................................................................................44
Yafa + Jef Todd | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Tel Aviv, Israel, 1951 / Philadelphia , Pensylvania, 1954............................................................46
Tadashi Torii | Sylva, North Carolina | Born: Osaka, Japan , 1967............................................................................................................................................48
Justin Turcotte | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Augusta , Maine, 1979...........................................................................................................................50
Jan Williams | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: New York, New York, 1952......................................................................................................................52
Harvey K. Littleton + Friends | November 19, 2006 – March 3, 2007 | an exhibition at the Fine Art Museum, WCU
10 11
Luna | 2011 | cast and fabricated glass and steel
26 x 26 x 11.5 inches
My work in glass is a synthesis of human and mechanical form, with an emphasis on
formal aspects. I am interested in playing the volumes of mass against the rhythm of
the lines. I enjoy the interplay of the visual (visceral) versus the verbal (descriptive/
technical). The work should challenge the eye and the mind.
RICK BECK | Spruce Pine, North Carolina
BORN: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1960
12 13
Grifins | 2012 | blown glass
11 x 11 x 11 inches
The blown work is beautiful, colorful, fun glass. I love playing with patterns. These are
bold and simple pieces. Some pieces depict specific dreams, stories and memories.
VALERIE BECK | Spruce Pine, North Carolina
BORN: Hastings, Nebraska, 1960
14 15
Citadel of the Prism | 2012 | fused glass with black granite base
9.75 x 11 x 11 inches
GARY BEECHAM | Spruce Pine, North Carolina
BORN: Ladysmith, Wisconsin, 1955
On the mental plane,
A magical tower
In rainbow hues
Haunted my dreams
For a year.
Over a season,
Dream at last made manifest:
Soft spectrum of hard bricks
Arising from black stone.
The mystery of building with glass.
– Mary Lynn White
16 17
Steel 5 | 2012 | cast and cut lead glass, fused steel
23 x 6 x 3 inches
The works presented here are from a general series in which the sculptures relate to one
another in my own visual language. The concept behind the work is the idea of growth.
I think of a small seed being trapped in a stone, a sidewalk, a crack in the pavement –
anywhere that a seed would not have the chance to grow and develop into its eventual
being. However, my sculptures allow for that seed to take root and burst in a gestural
sense – with the translucent glass rising from the opaque steel surface. I imagine that
these sculptures present only a short moment in time. For example, if the viewer were
to return a year from now, the glowing colorful growth would have continued to expand,
filling the room and finally letting that seed experience a life previously unimagined.
Alex Bernstein | Ashevile, North Carolina
BORN: Spruce Pine, North Carolina, 1972
18 19
Figure with Curtain | 2011 | cast lead crystal with diamond engraving
26 x 26 x 11.5 inches
My work continues to center around the figure. I am particularly interested in the
evocative aspects of each model and pose. I hope that in attempting to capture these
characteristics and relationships I arrive at a “portrait,” delineated not in terms of a
likeness but by the nuances of the figure.
Katherine Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina
BORN: Newark, New Jersey, 1945
20 21
Self Portrait with Glasses | 2011 | blown glass with applied fragments and hot cane drawing
11.5 x 9 x 4.5 inches
Pictorial imagery continues to be the main focus of my work. I am currently working
in three related areas: images applied to the glass in a molten state, enamels which
are applied to the glass and then fired, and painting on paper and canvas. I enjoy the
interaction between one medium and another.
For me, creativity is not the journey from concept to object. It is a steady rhythm, an
ongoing process. The pieces which result are documents of this process, rather than its
final goal.
Wiliam Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina
BORN: Newark, New Jersey, 1945
22 23
Oh November | 2011 | glass and metal
30 x 12 x 9 INCHES
I came to glass with a background in sculpture and drawing. As a transparent material,
it seemed like the most interesting place to combine the two. I was hooked from the very
start. Working with hot glass allowed me to explore things I could have never imagined,
much less expressed in any other material. My earliest influences were not glassmakers but
painters. As I worked more with the material I began to study its history and its physical
properties. This allowed me to develop a greater understanding of its full potential. The
early representational cane worked images of Billy Bernstein and Mark Peiser were a great
influence. I worked using their techniques until I was able to develop my own way of
picture-making. The most effective is a process of applying finely ground colored glasses
over castings and using stencils.
Over the past 30 years or so I have done my best to develop a method of using instinct
rather than formula in my approach. This leads to less predictable outcomes and much
greater room for original invention. I think of my entire body of work as an ongoing theater
piece that runs parallel to the world I inhabit. The characters and sets sometimes reflect my
world but need not adhere to any particular rules or fall victim to any constrictions of logic.
Ken Carder | Vi la s, North Carolina
BORN: Lima, Ohio, 1955
24 25
Dragon goddess | 2012 | flameworked glass and sandblasted
16.5 x 9.75 x 6.5 inches
During my 43-year career I have been fascinated with and have rendered bird imagery
into my work in various forms. This focus has sharpened in the last 10 years with the
blown bird series, which is based on techniques of German flameworking. I learned these
techniques when I was a young apprentice, although I brought them into a contemporary
context in relation to my work. I have always combined bird and human elements in
my sculptures, vessel forms, and mixed media pieces. Plus, I love to invoke humor and
character into these pieces, especially in the titles.
Shane Fero | Penland, North Carolina
BORN: Chicago, Ilinois, 1953
26 27
Golden Basket | 2012 | cast glass with battuto surface, internal leaf, steel
28 x 33 x 12 inches
My most recent work explores a quiet passion I have for the weathered surface and
the subtleties of light and shadow. For me glass and steel are natural companions. Our
modern world is littered with uninspired, yet very practical examples of what passes for
architecture. In my own way I try to draw order and harmony in my constructions and
in that attempt I sometimes succeed in creating an intimate experience for the viewer.
Robert Gardner | Ashevile, North Carolina
BORN: Miami Beach, Florida, 1962
28 29
River Rock Series, White | 2012 | hot glass, mouth blown, formed on pipe, sandblasted
6 x 25 inches
As a material, hot glass focuses and sustains my interest in the immediate task of
doing, making, while suggesting and sometimes pointing in a direction away from the
particular task. It hints at a melding of hand and mind in a symbiotic process of doing
and becoming, in which each sustains or rejuvenates the other to continue the process.
There are many aspects in the process which can limit or enable one’s imagination and
ability to realize one’s work. Spontaneity, or the serendipitous deviation from the original
plan, has been a wellspring of renewal through the years for me. My work is continually
informed by my study of aesthetics and my observations of the world around me: how
do patterns emerge from chaos; how do things seemingly broken hang together; or the
meditative patterns of the flow of water in and around rocks in a river. Luminosity and
form have become increasingly important in my work.
Judson Guerard | Bakersvile, North Carolina
BORN: Fayettevile, North Carolina, 1951
30 31
Black Bumps #3 | 2010 | handblown and hotworked glass, sandblasted and acid-etched
10 x 6.5 x 6.5 inches
I was originally attracted to hot glass because of its liquid qualities and sense of immediacy.
I have always tried to capture an element of the elegance, fluidity, and whimsy which I
feel are inherent properties of glass. I have usually formulated my own colors, and have
generally used opaque glasses or frosted surfaces, which tend to emphasize the overall
form of each piece. Recently I have been minimizing the color and working with black
glass, to emphasize form, texture, and a bit of mystery. I find that various aspects of my
work take on much more personal connotations for me, although rarely in any explicit
ways. The glass itself can be symbolic of human characteristics: fragile, but durable;
fluid, but hard-edged. For me, the working process brings up possibilities for change and
transformation, both with the material and with the person doing the creating. I think of
my work as an act of communication, not only with myself, but with the viewer as well.
Perhaps what is communicated is more of an attitude than a specific idea. My work,
whether more “sculptural” or “functional” in intent, has maintained a certain continuity
in terms of style. The approaches I use are eclectic and personal at the same time – sort
of a blend of Late Venetian and Early Neurotic.
Robert Levin | Burnsvile, North Carolina
BORN: Baltimore, Maryland, 1948
32 33
What’s Between Us #3 | 2012 | cast glass and copper wire steel
13.5 x 22.75 x 13.75 inches
“What’s Between Us” is the focus of our most recent series after 33 years of artistic
collaboration. Using our hands for the casting we create a portrait of ourselves in which
we examine the complexities of our marriage and artistic relationship. The space between
the hands has become our canvas.
John Littleton + Kate Vogel | Bakersvile, North Carolina
BORN: Madison, Wisconsin, 1957 / Wimpole, England, 1956
34 35
Namba | 2009 | glass, lampblown
22.5 x 6 inches
Glass took me under its spell early when at the age of nine I sat glued in place watching
the traveling lampworkers spin ships and unicorns. Through the years my relationship
with glass has come to define a good bit of who I am. I pursued my interest through an
apprenticeship in scientific glassblowing and then on into the art glass world teaching
and showing my work. Some forty-one years later my fascination with this most universal
of materials is ongoing. From art to manufacturing color and teaching, glass has been a
near life-long companion.
Roger Paramore | Ashevile, North Carolina
BORN: Gainesvile, Florida, 1962
36 37
Mount | 2012 | hot cast phase separated glass, hdf base
24.5 x 23.5 x 14.5 inches
The 200-inch diameter Palomar telescope mirror was intended to be the largest collector of
light in history and thus reveal the secrets of the universe. The story of its creation is one
of tedious triumph over material, process, and failure. My Palomar series is intended as
an acknowledgement and tribute to all those who have overcome the boundaries of glass.
“Mount” is a tiny section in half scale of the enormous disk and offers details of one of
the 36 mounting cavities, brick mold design, and core structure.
Mark Peiser | Penland, North Carolina
BORN: Chicago, Ilinois, 1938
38 39
Blue Satin GOblet Study #1 | 2011 | blown glass, acid-etched wood
34 x 46 x 6 inches
My work is a celebration of traditional techniques, opulent colors, and classical forms.
Keny Pieper | Burnsvile, North Carolina
BORN: Birmingham, Alabama, 1959
40 41
Snow Apples | 2010 | solid glass apples in white with murrinis and latticino
16 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches
My first experience with Western Carolina University and NC Glass began back in 1974.
There were just a handful of glass artists in Western North Carolina then. Little did we
know of the enthusiastic support that WCU and educator/author Joan Byrd would have
for the studio glass movement in the next two decades and beyond. Their biennial NC
Glass exhibitions with carefully crafted catalogs provide a record of the artists and their
growing understanding of glass as a material in our formative years. On a personal note,
I am pleased to feel a part of the WCU family through my sons Richie (with IT systems
engineering at WCU) and William (BFA in theater, 2012.) In this the 50th anniversary
year of the studio glass movement in the United States, I am honored to be a part of
North Carolina Glass 2012.
RICHARD RITTER | Bakersvile, North Carolina
BORN: Detroit, Michigan, 1940
42 43
Spectral Reflections | 2012 | laminated crystal, cut and polished
5.68 inches diameter
I taught myself the fundamentals of hot glass with a furnace I constructed out of an old
55-gallon steel drum. My fascination with this unique and diverse medium grew and led
to my graduate work with Kent Ipsen.
It’s my desire to involve the viewer in exploring the interior/exterior design. I see the
chromatics and configurations as a reflection of a redeemed creation with its order and
vibrant energy, from God who thought it good to give beauty to humanity.
Robert Stephan | Ashevile, North Carolina
BORN: Long Beach, California, 1949
44 45
HOME | 2012 | hot sculpted glass and metal
12.75 x 21.75 x 8.75 inches
We make pieces that we ourselves would like to live with. Our backgrounds as painters
led us to relate clay forms as three-dimensional canvases; blowing glass, the dimensions
of motion and flow were added. After some experience, we found that working in crystal
glass allows us to use reflections and two sides of the piece visually interacting, as
well as the pure optical qualities of the medium. To achieve these added dimensions, it
has become of utmost importance that the basic glass be immaculate and this control
has only been reached with years of batch tests and equipment refinement. We use
lampworked imagery in some of our work. Nature is our inspiration. We use nature as
impulse; bleeding over feelings and fantasies, we add and delete as necessary to achieve
a piece that will evoke a feeling of wonder and intrigue.
Yaf fa + Jef Todd | Burnsvile, North Carolina
BORN: Tel Aviv, Israel, 1951 / Phila delphia, Pennsylvania, 1954
46 47
Balance of Love I | 2012 | blown glass, off-axis reticello, murrini cane roll-up, off-axis incalmo technique
6.75 x 9.75 x 4 inches
Glass, as a complex medium, adds an extra element to my art that cannot be duplicated
with any other media. It is an ever-changing material, full of life of its own that requires
immediate decision-making, demanding complete presence to the moment on hand, and
with it becomes an extension of my personality. It has a mysterious and wondrous quality
of acting simultaneously as liquid and solid.
My art is a transformation of shapes and colors that highlight and reveal my inner self.
The use of multiple colors and patterns at times happens as randomly as thoughts come
and go, as quickly as emotions change. The latest work I created is a progression of
several classical, yet newer, bolder and freer forms. These sculptural pieces further define
the images and emotions of my imagination that I capture to share with my audience.
Tadashi Tori | Sylva, North Carolina
BORN: Osaka, Japan, 1967
48 49
Purple Battuto | 2012 | blown and cold worked glass
11 x 10 inches
Form over function is a rule I live by. Although many of the forms I work with may
insinuate function, this is not my main intention. Each piece is carefully shaped in the
hot shop to accent the use of patterns and surface texture. Grinding glass has become
such an important part of what I do I rarely make something that I don’t intend to change
the entire surface. This has become almost compulsive for me as I feel the need to break
the surface tension left by the fire-polished look of blown glass. It is my goal to maintain
simple forms and clean color application and use these as a canvas to apply different
patterns and textures. I am constantly trying to push my limits as an artist, not only
working larger but creating forms that are more challenging to make. For me, the future
holds the challenge of deciding what forms demand what colors.
Justin Turcot te | Ashevile, North Carolina
BORN: Augusta, Maine, 1979
50 51
If the Borrowers were Bunnies | 2011 | etched blown glass, flameworked glass, fabric and found objects
26 x 26 x 11.5 inches
On a recent visit to my mother’s home in Pennsylvania, my sister and I rummaged through
closets filled with 60 years of collecting. Memories flooded back as we unearthed a
colorful collection of blown vessels from the 1950s and 1960s, all purchased at Blenko
and the Hammond Glassworks in West Virginia during our yearly pilgrimages to my
Grandma and Granddad Given’s home in Hurricane. Each summer the highlight of our
visit was a trip to spend the day at these two hot glass factories. In college, when I had
the opportunity to sign up for a hot glass class at Philadelphia College of Art in 1972, I
jumped at the chance. I couldn’t believe my good fortune … to finally dip into the liquid
crystal. Looking back on the life I have shared with my husband, Richard, hot glass and
family have blended together seamlessly as we treaded the path between the studio and
our house, as we made the glass furnace our hearth, and as our children grew up and
left … each leaving their imprint on our creative lives. A pile of children’s books are left
behind … “The Borrowers” among them, one of my daughter Kaete’s favorites. Could the
“Borrowers” be bunnies? Maybe so!
Jan Wiliams | Bakersvile, North Carolina
BORN: New York, New York, 1952
52 53
Artist Inform ation
Rick Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Edmonton, Alberta , Canada , 1960..............................................................................................................56
Valerie Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Hastings, Nebraska, 1960......................................................................................................................56
Gary BeechaM | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Ladysmith, Wisconsin, 1955.................................................................................................................56
Alex Bernstein | ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Spruce Pine, North Carolina, 1972......................................................................................................57
Katherine Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark , New Jersey, 1945.........................................................................................................57
William Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark , New Jersey, 1945.............................................................................................................57
Ken Carder | Vilas , North Carolina | Born: Lima, Ohio, 1955....................................................................................................................................................58
Shane Fero | Penland , North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1953...................................................................................................................................58
Robert Gardner | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Miami Beach, Florida 1962...................................................................................................................58
Judson Guerard | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Fayetevile, North Carolina, 1951................................................................................................59
Robert Levin | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Baltimore , Maryland, 1948....................................................................................................................59
John Littleton + Kate Vogel | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Madison, Wisconsin, 1957 / Wimpole, England , 1956..............................................59
Roger Parramore | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Gainesvile, Florida, 1962.................................................................................................................60
Mark Peiser | Penland , North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1938.................................................................................................................................60
Kenny Pieper | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Birmingham, Alabama, 1959...................................................................................................................60
Richard Ritter | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Detroit, Michigan, 1940......................................................................................................................61
Robert Stephan | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Long Beach, California, 1949..............................................................................................................61
Yafa + Jef Todd | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Tel Aviv, Israel, 1951 / Philadelphia , Pensylvania, 1954............................................................61
Tadashi Torii | Sylva, North Carolina | Born: Osaka, Japan , 1967............................................................................................................................................62
Justin Turcotte | Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Augusta , Maine, 1979...........................................................................................................................62
Jan Williams | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: New York, New York, 1952......................................................................................................................62
Harvey K. Littleton + Friends | November 19, 2006 – March 3, 2007 | an exhibition at the Fine Art Museum, WCU
54 55
Education and Related Experience
2007.............................................. Instructor, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
2005.....................................................Instructor, Penland School, Penland, North Carolina
1980-85.......................................Assistant to Harvey Littleton, Spruce Pine, North Carolina
1979................................................BS in art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Exhibitions
Blue Spiral Gallery........................................................................Asheville, North Carolina
William King Regional Arts Center........................................................... Abingdon, Virginia
Maurine Littleton Gallery..........................................................................Washington, D.C.
Galerie Internationale du Verre......................................................................... Biot, France
International Exhibition of Glass................................................................Kanazawa, Japan
selected Collections
Musee de Verre............................................................................................Liege, Belgium
Glasmuseum Frauenau............................................................................Bavaria, Germany
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
N.C. Museum of History................................................................... Raleigh, North Carolina
J + L Lobmeyer..........................................................................................Vienna, Austria
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Gary BechaM | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Ladysmith, Wisconsin, 1955
Education and Related Experience
1990...........................................Masterworks fellowship, Creative Glass Center of America
1983....................................................................... North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship
1968-70..................... Artist in residence, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1968............................................................ BFA, Philadelphia College of Art, Pennsylvania
Exhibitions
Vessels: From Use to Symbol........................... American Craft Museum, New York, New York
Glass from the Corning Collection..........................................Spaso House, Moscow, Russia
National Craft Invitational, Arkansas Arts Center Decorative Arts Museum.........Little Rock, Arkansas
Glass Masters................................................. Somerhill Gallery, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
NC Glass Reunion, Blue Spiral 1....................................................Asheville, North Carolina
selected Collections
Corning Museum of Glass........................................................................Corning, New York
National Collection of Fine Art...................................................................Washington, D.C.
Australian Council for the Arts..................................................................Sydney, Australia
R.J. Reynolds Collection....................................................... Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Glasmuseum Frauenau......................................................................... Frauenau, Germany
Yamaha Corporation........................................................................................Tokyo, Japan
Wiliam Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark, New Jersey, 1945
Education and Related Experience
2000, 2003.............................. Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1968-70................................... Artist in residence, Penland School of Crafts, North Carolina
1967............................................................ BFA, Philadelphia College of Art, Pennsylvania
Exhibitions
Grohe Glass Gallery, with William Bernstein......................................Boston, Massachusetts
Marx Gallery, with William Bernstein...........................................................Chicago, Illinois
North Carolina Glass Community, Galerie Angela Hollings......................... Hamelin, Germany
Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical, American Craft Museum................... New York, New York
Translucence, Glaxo Inc., Research Triangle..................................... Durham, North Carolina
selected Collections
Asheville Art Museum....................................................................Asheville, North Carolina
Smithsonian Institution............................................................................Washington, D.C.
Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art..................................................................Sapporo, Japan
Chrysler Museum...................................................................................... Norfolk, Virginia
Duke University Hospital, Women’s Wing......................................... Durham, North Carolina
Katherine Bernstein | Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Newark, New Jersey, 1945
Education and Related Experience
2009................................................ Instructor, Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, Washington
2004-2007...........................Instructor, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, Massachusetts
2003................................................ Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
2001....MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology, The School for American Crafts. Rochester, New York
1996....................... BA, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, North Carolina
Exhibitions
American Glass Museum..................................................................... Millville, New Jersey
Chappell Gallery................................................................................... New York, New York
Blue Spiral 1................................................................................ Asheville, North Carolina
Sandra Ainsley Gallery.............................................................................. Toronto, Canada
Prism Contemporary Glass......................................................................... Chicago, Illinois
selected Collections
Philadelphia Museum of Art....................................................... Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Museum of Fine Arts..................................................................... Boston, Massachusetts
Palm Springs Art Museum.............................................................. Palm Springs, California
Corning Museum of Glass...................................................................... Corning, New York
Glassmuseum Frauenau....................................................................... Frauenau, Germany
Alex Bernstein | ashevile, North Carolina | BORN: Spruce Pine, North Carolina, 1972
Education and Related Experience
1994, 2000.............................. Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1991-94..................... Artist in residence, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1989......................................MFA in glass, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
1982.......................................................... BA in art, Hastings College, Hastings, Nebraska
Exhibitions
Form, Color, Light, Vero Beach Museum of Art.........................................Vero Beach, Florida
Habatat Galleries.................................................................................Palm Beach, Florida
Ken Saunders Gallery.................................................................................Chicago, Illinois
Rick Beck, Habatat Galleries................................................................ Royal Oak, Michigan
Rick Beck, Habatat Galleries.............................................................Tysons Corner, Virginia
selected Collections
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Hickory Museum of Art.................................................................... Hickory, North Carolina
McDonalds Corporate Collection................................................................Oakbrook, Illinois
Muskegon Museum of Art.................................................................... Muskegon, Michigan
Ogden Museum of Southern Art....................................................... New Orleans, Louisiana
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
Rick Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1960
Education and Related Experience
1994....................................... Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1991-94.................... Artist in Residence, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1989.......................................................... Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
1982...................................................................BA, Hastings College, Hastings, Nebraska
Exhibitions
Thomas Riley Galleries............................................................................... Cleveland, Ohio
Shared Vision, Christa Faut Gallery............................................... Cornelius, North Carolina
Snyderman Gallery.....................................................................Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
River Gallery................................................................................. Chattanooga, Tennessee
Gallerie Alegria................................................................................ Birmingham, Alabama
selected Collections
Federal Reserve Bank................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Johnson Wax Corporate Collection........................................................... Racine, Wisconsin
McDonalds Corporate Collection................................................................Oakbrook, Illinois
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
University of North Carolina.......................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
Valerie Beck | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | Born: Hastings, Nebraska, 1960
56 57
Education and Related Experience
1984-88.................................... Artist in residence Penland School, Penland, North Carolina
1981-84.......................................Assistant to Harvey Littleton, Spruce Pine, North Carolina
1981.................................................... Assistant to William Bernstein, Celo, North Carolina
1981................................................... Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Education and Related Experience
1976-1980............................... Resident, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1974..................................................MFA, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
1972....................................................... Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1971..................................................................... BFA, Denison University, Granville, Ohio
John Littleton – Education and Related Experience
1979...................................................... BSA, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
1974......................................................... Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, Michigan
Kate Vogel – Education and Related Experience
1978...................................................... BSA, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
1977............................................................ Santa Reperata Graphic Center, Florence, Italy
Education and Related Experience
2005...........................Excellence in Glass Art, Art in the Park, Blowing Rock, North Carolina
1989-93.................................................. Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1978................................................................. MA, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii
1974................... BA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Education and Related Experience
1996....................................... Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1994 ........................................ MFA, MA, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
1988....................................................... Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1985.......................................... BFA, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California
Education and Related Experience
1989-2004.............................. Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
2008......................................................... Instructor, Eugene Glass School, Eugene, Oregon
1997-2003................. Instructor, Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
1999, 2010........................................ Instructor, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, Washington
Exhibitions
Hephaestus Gallery............................................................................. Bowling Green, Ohio
Barstons Gallery................................................................................. Baltimore, Maryland
Habatat Gallery........................................................................................Detroit, Michigan
Habatat Gallery..................................................................................... Bay Harbor, Florida
Riley Hawk Gallery..................................................................................... Columbus, Ohio
Exhibitions
Fire on the Mountain, Asheville Art Museum........................................... Asheville, North Carolina
Born from Fire: American Studio Glass, Columbia Museum of Art............ Columbia, South Carolina
Solo Exhibition, Cape Fear Galleries........................................... Fayetteville, North Carolina
Influence, 25 Years of Glass Art, Workhouse Arts Center................................Lorton, Virginia
Art in Public Places...................................................................... City of Bristol, Tennessee
Collaborative Exhibitions
Fire on the Mountain, Asheville Art Museum........................................... Asheville, North Carolina
Spark and Flame, Chazen Museum of Art....................................................... Madison, Wisconsin
Sculptural Objects + Functional Art (SOFA)......................................................... Chicago, Illinois
Solo collaboration, Hodgell Gallery......................................................................Sarasota, Florida
Solo collaboration, Piedmont Craftsmen.........................................Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Exhibitions
High Five Group Invitational, Cabarrus County Arts Council...............Concord, North Carolina
Glass Now, National Liberty Museum.........................................Philadelphia, North Carolina
The Winter Show, Green Hill Center for N.C. Art........................... Greensboro, North Carolina
Art Auction, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Association..................Montgomery, Alabama
Artists Invitational Exhibition, Waterworks Visual Arts Center.......... Salisbury, North Carolina
Exhibitions
Fire on the Mountain, Asheville Art Museum...................................Asheville, North Carolina
New Work, Eno Gallery..............................................................Hillsborough, North Carolina
Christa Faut Gallery..................................................................... Davidson, North Carolina
Center of the Earth....................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
BoBo Gallery.................................................................................Asheville, North Carolina
Exhibitions
Flame/Flight/Philosophy, Ross Gallery, Christian Brothers University......Memphis, Tennessee
7 plus 11, Eisch Galerie am Museum..................................................... Frauenau, Germany
Intersection: Work from the Sutherland Artists-In-Residence Series, University of Louisville’s
Cressman Center................................................................................. Louisville, Kentucky
Collector’s Choice: 30 Years of Celebrating N.C. Art, Green Hill Center for N.C. Art.........Greensboro, N.C.
Glass Quake Again 2010, Mobilia Gallery.................................... Cambridge, Massachusetts
selected Collections
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Asheville Museum of Art................................................................Asheville, North Carolina
Oberglas Museum.................................................................................. Barnbach, Austria
Swarovski Glass Museum....................................................................................... Austria
Museum of American Glass, Wheaton Village........................................ Millville, New Jersey
selected Collections
Corning Museum of Glass........................................................................Corning, New York
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Glasmuseum Frauenau......................................................................... Frauenau, Germany
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
High Museum of Art................................................................................... Atlanta, Georgia
North Carolina Museum of History.................................................... Raleigh, North Carolina
selected Collections
Corning Museum of Glass........................................................................Corning, New York
Glasmuseum Frauenau......................................................................... Frauenau, Germany
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
North Carolina Museum of History.................................................... Raleigh, North Carolina
Oberglas Museum.................................................................................. Barnbach, Austria
White House Collection, Clinton Library............................................... Little Rock, Arkansas
selected Collections
Muskegon Museum of Art.................................................................... Muskegon, Michigan
selected Collections
Museum of American Glass, Wheaton Village........................................ Millville, New Jersey
Hunter Museum of Art................................................................... Chattanooga, Tennessee
selected Collections
Museum of Art and Design....................................................................................New York
Glasmuseum...........................................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Asheville Art Museum...................................................................................North Carolina
Huntsville Museum of Art..................................................................................... Alabama
Museum fur Glaskunst...........................................................................Lauscha, Germany
Niijima Glass Art Center........................................................................................... Japan
Ken Carder
Robert Levin
John Litt leton + Kate Vogel
Judson Guerard
Robert Gardner
Shane Fero
| Vi la s, North Carolina | Born: Lima, Ohio, 1955
| Burnsvile, North Carolina | Born: Baltimore, Maryland, 1948
| Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Madison, Wisconsin, 1957 / Wimpole, England, 1956
| Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Fayettevile, North Carolina, 1951
| Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Miami Beach, Florida, 1962
| Penland, North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1953
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Education and Related Experience
.............................................. Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1989.........................................MA, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina
1987......................................... BA, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina
1978-80............................. Glass apprenticeship, Southern Scientific Inc, Micanopy, Florida
Education and Related Experience
2011........North Carolina Living Treasure, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina
1972-76..................... Artist in residence, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1969....................................................... BA, Center for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan
1968....................................... Honorary DFA, Center for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan
Education and Related Experience
2000................................................Guest lecturer, Contemporary Glass Art Society, Great Britain
1976...........................................BFA in ceramics, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
1974.....................................................AA, Broward Community College, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Jeff Todd – Education and Related Experience
1991....................................... Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1978.................................................. BFA, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
1973.................................................................... Archy Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
Yaffa Todd – Education and Related Experience
1991........................................... Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1977............................................ MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
1973............................................ BFA, Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Education and Related Experience
1996-2002.........Glass studio coordinator, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1979-80.................... BFA in glass, California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, California
1977-79................. Center for Creative Studies, College of Art and Design, Detroit, Michigan
1974-77.................................................. Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
Education and Related Experience
2010........................................................... Lifetime Achievement Award, Glass Art Society
2004................................ Lifetime Achievement Award, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass
1967-1970.............................. Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1961................................................... BSD, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
1957..........................................................................Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana
Exhibitions
Make It New, Asheville Art Museum................................................Asheville, North Carolina
International Vessel Invitational, Kentucky Museum of Craft+Design...... Louisville, Kentucky
Glass Masters, Naples Museum of Art/Philharmonic Center for the Arts.........Naples, Florida
Glass Glorious Glass, National Museum of American Art...............................Washington, DC
The Vessel: A National Glass Invitational, Ellen Noel Art Museum.................... Odessa, Texas
Exhibitions
Richard Ritter – North Carolina Living Treasure, Cameron Art Museum.......Wilmington, North Carolina
Richard Ritter – A Life in Glass, Ogden Museum of Southern Art........ New Orleans, Louisiana
Richard Ritter – 40 Years in Glass, Toe River Arts Council........................... Spruce Pine, North Carolina
40 Years in Glass, The Fine Art Museum of Western Carolina University...........Cullowhee, North Carolina
Richard Ritter – Suspended Expressions, Visions in Glass, University of Michigan..........Dearborn, Michigan
Exhibitions
Chrysler Museum......................................................................................................Norfolk, Virginia
Mint Museum..............................................................................................Charlotte, North Carolina
Corning Museum of Glass...................................................................................... Corning, New York
Denmark Glas Museum......................................................................................... Ebeltoft, Denmark
Exhibitions
Verriales, Gallerie International du Verre......................................................................... Biot, France
Fire on the Mountain, Asheville Art Museum................................................ Asheville, North Carolina
The Galleries...............................................................................................Cabarrus, North Carolina
Vitrum Gallerie............................................................................................ Asheville, North Carolina
Kittrell-Riffkind Art Glass...............................................................................................Dallas, Texas
Exhibitions
2012, Featured artist, Kuivato Gallery........................................................ Sedona, Arizona
2011, Handle with Care, Carrus Arts Council...................................Concord, North Carolina
2010, Collector’s Choice, Green Hill Center for N.C. Art............... Greensboro, North Carolina
2007, Kenny Pieper, RedSky Gallery............................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
2007, Featured artist, Glass Symphony.......................................................... Bend, Oregon
Exhibitions
Spotlight 2006: American Craft Council South East Regional Juried Exhibition, Kentucky
Museum of Art and Craft...................................................................... Louisville, Kentucky
The 2006 Governor’s Executive Mansion North Carolina Craft Exhibition, in association with
the Mint Museum......................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
New Works 2005: Celebrating Recent Gifts to RAM, Racine Art Museum............ Racine, Wisconsin
Fall Colors, Blue Spiral 1...............................................................Asheville, North Carolina
Commitment: Ten over Ten, Marx-Saunders Gallery......................................Chicago, Illinois
selected Collections
The Imperial Household of Japan........................................................................................
Kobe Lampwork Museum................................................................................. Kobe, Japan
Niijima Glass Art Center........................................................................................... Japan
National Museum of American Art.............................................................Washington, D.C.
selected Collections
Blowing Rock Art and History Museum..................................... Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Corning Museum of Glass........................................................................Corning, New York
J + L Lobmeyr............................................................................................Vienna, Austria
Museum of Glass................................................................................ Tacoma, Washington
Smithsonian American Art Museum...........................................................Washington, D.C.
White House Art Collection........................................................................Washington, D.C.
selected Collections
Bank of Virginia.........................................................................................................Norfolk, Virginia
Best Products Corporation.................................................................................... Richmond, Virginia
American Interfaith Institute.....................................................................Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Georgia Power and Light........................................................................................... Atlanta, Georgia
Glaxo Corporation................................................................. Reasearch Triangle Park, North Carolina
Rosen Group......................................................................................................Baltimore, Maryland
selected Collections
Glasmuseum Frauenau........................................................................................ Frauenau, Germany
Mint Museum..............................................................................................Charlotte, North Carolina
Wheaton Museum of Historical Glass.................................................................. Millville, New Jersey
Asheville Museum of Art.............................................................................. Asheville, North Carolina
Ford Collection................................................................................................... Rochester, New York
Galerie Internationale du Verre....................................................................................... Biot, France
selected Collections
Corning Glass Museum............................................................................Corning, New York
Asheville Art Museum....................................................................Asheville, North Carolina
New Orleans Museum of Art.................................................................................Louisiana
Hickory Museum of Art.................................................................................North Carolina
New Bedford Museum of Glass....................................................................Massachusetts
selected Collections
Art Institute of Chicago...............................................................................Chicago, Illinois
Mint Museum............................................................................... Charlotte, North Carolina
Peggy Guggenheim Collection........................................................................... Venice, Italy
Tokyo Museum of Modern Art...........................................................................Tokyo, Japan
Museum of Arts + Design.................................................................... New York, New York
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft..............................................................................Ebeltoft, Denmark
Roger Paramore Richard Riter
Robert Stephan
Keny Peipr Yaaff + Jef Todd
Mark Peiser
| Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Gainesvile, Florida, 1962 | Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: Detroit, Michigan, 1940
| Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Long Beach, California, 1949
| Burnsvile, North Caroilna | Born: Birmingham, Alabama, 1959 | Burnsvile, North Caroilna | Born: Tel Aviv, Israel, 1951 / Phaildelphai, pennsylvanai, 1954
| Penland, North Carolina | Born: Chicago, Ilinois, 1938
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Education and Related Experience
2010.......Intense Goblets + Sculpture Workshop, Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, Millville, New Jersey
2009........................................................Workshops at Flame Tree Glass, Roswell, Georgia
............................................Associate artist, instructor, Jackson County Green Energy Park
1997............. BFA glassblowing/sculpture, Georgia Southwestern State University, Americus, Georgia
Education and Related Experience
................................................................... Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1977............................................... Artist in residence, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1974................................................................................. Penland School of Crafts, concentration course
................................................ BFA, Crafts at the Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Education and Related Experience
Current............................................... Metal shop assistant, Hoss Haley Studio, Asheville, North Carolina
2010....................................................Studio assistant, Penland School of Craft, Penland, North Carolina
2009..........Furnace-building workshop & glass technician, Penland School of Craft, Penland, North Carolina
2001.....................................................................BA, Franklin Pierce University, Rindge, New Hampshire
Exhibitions
A Kaleidoscope of Shapes and Colors, Jackson County Green Energy Park..... Dillsboro, North Carolina
Art + Energy Group Show, Jackson County Green Energy Park.........Dillsboro, North Carolina
Discoveries in Glass, Arts Clayton Gallery................................................... Clayton, Georgia
Tadashi Torii Solo Exhibition, dk Gallery.....................................................Marietta, Georgia
23rd National Juried Art Exhibition, Mable House Arts Center.................... Mableton, Georgia
Exhibitions
Penland School of Crafts Resident Artists Exhibition, Folk Art Center............ Asheville, North Carolina
Telling a Story … Narrative Work in Craft, Penland Gallery.............................Penland, North Carolina
Passionate Collectors: Sonjia and Isaac Luski, North Carolina State University......Raleigh, North Carolina
North Carolina Glass, R. Duane Reed Gallery........................................................ St. Louis, Missouri
Glass from North Carolina, Glasmuseum Ebeltoft................................................... Ebeltoft, Denmark
Exhibitions
Blue Spiral 1............................................................................................... Asheville, North Carolina
Design Gallery............................................................................................Burnsville, North Carolina
Cabarrus Arts Council.................................................................................. Concord, North Carolina
Green Hill Center for NC Art......................................................................Greensboro, North Carolina
Flood Gallery............................................................................................... Asheville, North Carolina
selected Collections
Four Seasons Hotel................................................................................... Atlanta, Georgia
Tifton Museum of Arts and Heritage..............................................................Tifton, Georgia
Wiregrass Museum of Art..........................................................................Dothan, Alabama
Albany Museum of Art................................................................................ Albany, Georgia
Tennessee State Museum................................................................... Nashville, Tennessee
selected Collections
High Museum of Art................................................................................... Atlanta, Georgia
R.J. Reynolds Industries Corporation.................................... Winston Salem, North Carolina
Corning Museum of Glass........................................................................Corning, New York
George and Dorothy Saxe Collection............................................... San Francisco, California
Tadashi Tori
Jan Wiliams
Justin Turcot te
| Sylva, North Carolina | Born: Osaka, Japan, 1967
| Bakersvile, North Carolina | Born: New York, New York, 1952
| Ashevile, North Carolina | Born: Augusta, Maine, 1979
The Fine Art Museum serves as a cultural catalyst to celebrate and preserve the artistic legacy of the western North Carolina region with a developing focus to collect, interpret and
showcase innovation in contemporary art of high artistic merit. The Museum serves the campus and community as:
• A learning laboratory stressing exploration while challenging contemporary artists from throughout the region and nation to create new art forms utilizing not only conventional
tools and processes but also new modes of expression and state of the art technology.
• A teaching museum by facilitating scholarly research, interactive art education, academic curriculum support, enrichment and life-long learning for children and adults of all ages
and backgrounds while featuring the creativity and innovation of cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• A focal point for encouraging dialogue toward greater understanding of contemporary art in its diverse forms and processes in the context of its communication capacity and bridge
potential inspired from local mountain traditions to a myriad of cross-cultural historical references.
The University of North Carolina
Thomas W. Ross, President
Western Carolina University Administration
David O. Belcher, Chancellor
Dianne Lynch, Chief of Staff
Angela Brenton, Provost & Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
Robert Edwards, Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance
Clifton Metcalf, Vice Chancellor for Advancement & External Affairs
Sam Miller, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Craig Fowler, Chief Information Officer
Mary Ann Lochner, General Counsel
Robert Kehrberg, Dean, College of Fine & Performing Arts
Matt Liddle, Director, School of Art & Design
Fine Art Museum Staff
Denise Drury, Interim Director and Curator
Anne Lane, Interim Curatorial Specialist
Kevin Kirkpatrick, Museum Technician
Greg McPherson, Exhibit Designer
Dawn Behling, Visitor Services Manager
Laura Sellers, Business Officer
Jessica Kovacs, Museum Intern
Carrie Croom, Museum Intern
Lisa Maddox, Museum Assistant
Design
Rubae Schoen, Director, Creative Services, WCU
Zack Keys, Graphic Designer, Creative Services, WCU
Photography
Ashley Evans, Photography Services, WCU
Courtesy of the artists
Frank Bott
John Littleton
Jan Williams
Denise Drury
Supporters of North Carolina Glass 2012
School of Art and Design North Carolina Glass Fund
Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass
Randall and Susan Parrott Ward
College of Fine & Performing Arts
Jackson County Green Energy Park
Friends of the Arts at WCU
Fine Art Museum Mision Statement
Acknowledgements
Bardo Arts Center
Western Carolina University
199 Centennial Drive
Cullowhee, NC 28723
Museum Hours
10 a.m – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday
10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Thursdays
Closed University Holidays
fineartmuseum.wcu.edu
museum@wcu.edu
828.227.3591
WCU is a University of North Carolina campus and an Equal Oportunity Institution. 750 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $7,101 or $9.47 each. Ofice of Creati ve Services | OCT. 2012 | 12-593
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